Not Taken
by Usami
Summary: /AU/ If only things had been different...


This was written for the LJ community **disney_uberland**'s _Rewrite Challenge_. Participants were to rewrite any scene/moment/etc. from any Disney film or series, as long as the starting point was of something that actually happens in the film. For this story, I decided to rewrite the scene near the end of _Toy Story 3_ just before Andy leaves for college. The idea was what would've happened if Woody hadn't thought of writing down Bonnie's address for Andy to find? Admittedly the ending is a tad extreme, but that kind of thing happened quite a bit when I was in college, so I considered it possible. Plus, I was kind of stuck for an ending, and it was all I could think of. Heh...please don't kill me.

The title is based on the famous Robert Frost poem, because I thought it would be appropriate. But anyway, enough rambling from me. Enjoy!

**Not Taken**

Woody barely had time to close the flap of the box before Andy and his mom reentered the room.

"Did you say goodbye to Molly?" he heard Andy's mom ask.

"Mom," Andy replied with a laugh, "we've said goodbye, like, ten times." It was meant as a joke, but Woody wondered how much of it was actually true.

The sound of Mrs. Davis' gasping caught his attention, and Woody listened curiously.

"Oh…Andy…" his mother murmured. Woody heard the heaviness in her voice, a sound of longing that he was all too familiar with, and for a moment he thought she would say more. Instead she only sighed, so softly that the following silence concealed it easily.

"…Mom," he heard Andy say then, hesitant but concerned, "it's okay."

With everything that he and the others went through lately, Woody had forgotten that Andy's mom must have been going through almost the same thing…that she probably felt as lonely at the thought of Andy leaving as they did. He looked out through the box's handle hole, his heart going out to the woman who had been as much a part of his life as Andy.

"I know," the woman replied, her voice thick with tears, "it's just…" She turned toward her son, debating in her mind before wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I wish I could always be with you."

Hearing those words out loud hurt more than Woody realized. For how many times had he wished the same thing? It was all he wanted, his only hope even as Andy grew older and spent less time with all of them. To be with Andy always, to never be forgotten. But he never knew that Andy's mother wanted it too.

But more surprising than that was how Andy responded.

"You will be, Mom."

There was a powerful force in those simple words, striking Woody hard with a feeling so unsettling that he was unable to watch the two of them any longer. Wanting to think of something else, of _anything_ else, he turned away from the two only to come across a familiar photograph.

Nothing changed about the picture of Andy as a child, yet it looked different than when he looked at it a few days ago. Perhaps it was because he was only looking at Andy before, so focused on his kid…that he never took the time to see the other people he cared about in the same picture.

His friends, the ones who remained a constant as things changed around them. They had all gone through so much together; all the laughter and pain, so many playful days and lonely nights. They had been on impossible adventures, surviving things that other toys might not. After all that, could he really just leave them behind now?

What could he do though? He was leaving soon, going with Andy to college. Even though he heard Andy and his mom distracted, he didn't have a lot of time to do anything. And that was only _if_ he could do something, but at the moment he didn't know _what_ he could do for the others.

He tried to reassure himself that things would be okay. He was going to be with Andy, and the others would be safe together in the attic. And they could still be together, be there for each other, just as Andy and his mom were.

The thought helped a little…although he still wasn't entirely convinced.

Noticing movement, Woody glanced out once more to see Andy picking up the box, ready to take it up to the attic. And from the side hole, he caught sight of Buzz, waving with a reassuring smile. He did the same, masking his doubts as he always did, as their last words echoed between them.

_This isn't goodbye._

_

* * *

_

The toys sat and listened carefully, trying their best to locate the source of shuffling and scraping noises. Then they quickly stilled, motionless as the lid of their box suddenly opened.

"Whoops," Mrs. Davis laughed. "That's where I put this one." She closed the lid again, and the toys heard as she moved back across the attic.

They relaxed, though waited a little longer so Andy's mom wouldn't hear them. Soon they heard the familiar creak of the attic stairs, the fading steps signaling that the woman had gone back downstairs.

Still wary, however, Buzz held a hand up, keeping the others from speaking for the moment. Then he glanced out the hole on the side of the box, position at just the right angle to see the attic door. Noticing the group of boxes crowded around it, he sighed.

"We'll have to wait a little longer," he informed them, his voice just above a whisper. "It looks like Mom will be coming back up soon."

The others groaned. "How long does it take to take the decorations downstairs?" Mr. Potato Head grumbled.

"Well, Andy usually helped her with the heavier boxes," Slinky gently pointed out.

And odd silence fell over them, but only for a moment before Jessie slapped her knee. "C'mon guys!" she said with a grin. "It's almost Christmas!"

"I love Christmas!" Rex said, waving his little arms in excitement.

"Darn right!" Jessie pushed back her hat. "And you know what that means?"

"Potential new roommates?" Hamm retorted dryly. Buzz shot him a warning look. It may have been a joke, but the cynicism in it was uncalled for.

Still, the cowgirl simply laughed. "Naw! It means Andy's comin' home soon!"

Mr. Potato Head scoffed. "So what? It's not like he's gonna come up here and see _us_."

"Yeah," Hamm added. "He didn't even know we were up here when he left."

"Hey, come on, guys," Buzz said. "You know that wasn't Andy's fault. Besides, he knows now, and that's all that matters."

Hamm and Mr. Potato Head groused a little longer but conceded the point. Buzz couldn't really blame them for how they felt though. He knew that they really didn't mind being in the attic, for they all were pretty content there during the months Andy was at college. They all had each other, and they all found things to fill the days with things to do. In all honesty, it hadn't been so bad.

For the past few days, though, they simply had been in a bad mood. Mom had been looking for something in the attic when she found their box, and was so surprised to see them that she had called Andy to tell him that she actually hadn't thrown them away like they thought. And though Buzz gathered that Andy was glad to discover they were still around, it meant that he hadn't known when he put the box in the attic. After everything that happened, after all the things they went through and what almost happened…after almost _not_ making it back to him, it hurt that he had spent all that time not knowing they were still there.

Still, it wasn't entirely bad. Now that Andy knew where they were, they were assured that neither Andy nor his mom would ever get rid of them. Even though they weren't sure how long they would stay in the attic, they at least felt safe up there.

"Besides, even though we won't see Andy," Jessie continued, and though her voice was light Buzz couldn't help wondering how much of a brave face she was putting on, "him comin' means that Woody's comin' home too!"

At this Buzz smiled, and even the other toys agreed that that was something to be excited about. They were all surprised during Thanksgiving when Andy returned for the holiday, and even more surprised to find Woody had come with him (though whether Andy _brought_ the cowboy doll home or Woody _snuck_ along, Buzz still wasn't sure). They were glad to see Woody and spend some time with him, even for just a few days.

But that was also when Woody told them about other vacations at college, and how long those breaks were compared to elementary or high school. Buzz knew Jessie had been counting the days until the Christmas season, because it meant that Woody would be back with them for a whole month.

"I wonder what kinda stories Woody'll tell us this time," Slinky said, mostly to himself.

"Andy has probably picked his classes for next semester," Mrs. Potato Head surmised. "Maybe Woody will tell us what he'll be taking."

"Yeah, _that'll _be interesting," Mr. Potato Head muttered sarcastically.

"Maybe he'll tell us about some of the friends Andy's made," Rex suggested.

"Or maybe that _girl_ Andy's…getting to know," Hamm added with a suggestive wink.

"I'm sure Woody'll have plenty of new stories t' tell us," Jessie reassured them, gently rubbing Bullseye's snout as he nudged her shoulder.

As the others continued guessing the kinds of things Woody could tell them, Buzz frowned a little. It was true that Woody had a lot of new stories when he came back from college with Andy. Being in Andy's room all the time allowed him to overhear a lot of things when Andy was with friends, his roommate, or even just talking with Mom on the phone. He had plenty to share with them about Andy's college life.

But even with all the time they spent apart, Woody continued trying to be strong for all of them, locking away any doubts or concerns that he truly felt. And it worked, since none of the others suspected anything was wrong during his last visit. But Buzz wasn't fooled by the act, and when the two of them managed to find a moment by themselves, Woody admitted the truth about being at college with Andy.

They never expected there to be any problems when Andy decided to take Woody with him, but after the cowboy explained it, Buzz couldn't believe they never thought about it before. Though Woody was _there_ with Andy, Andy wasn't really going to spend any time with him. College was the next chapter of Andy's life, and he would have to be focused on _that_. He wouldn't have time to play with an old childhood toy.

Woody understood that, and it was something they were familiar with while Andy was growing up. The cowboy admitted it wouldn't have been so bad if it had been like the past few years when their kid didn't play with them. But it wasn't _anything_ like that time, because _this_ time Woody was going through it alone.

_That_ made it harder for Woody than before. He had dealt with being unnoticed by his kid, but being separated from his friends in addition to that made it much harder to bear. And the night that Woody was telling him all this…Buzz had never seen the cowboy so miserable before. Though Woody would never regret being with Andy, his loneliness had him wishing that things had turned out differently. And after listening to the cowboy, hearing the lost tone in his voice, Buzz found himself wishing the same thing as well.

The sound of groaning steps snapped the space ranger out of his thoughts, and he quieted the others down before glancing out the box again and seeing Mom coming up the attic.

The woman paused at the opening, looking over the boxes she gathered and debating which one to bring down when suddenly an electronic chime echoed around her. She reached into her pocket and opened her cellphone.

"Hello?" she said distractedly as she continued looking over the boxes. Then she paused as a smile lit her face. "Hi, honey!"

Buzz could only hear a garbled voice coming from the other end, but it was distinctly male, causing him to smile as well.

"I'm in the attic getting the Christmas decorations," Mom said, an answer to whatever Andy said. Her smile faded a little, though, as she listened to him speak. "Andy, honey, what's wrong?"

Buzz watched the woman carefully, noting the concern flashing through her widened eyes as she covered her mouth. "Someone broke into your dorm room?"

He heard the other toys gasp behind him, but Buzz didn't take his eyes off Mrs. Davis as she asked if Andy was all right. Then a sense of relief washed over her as Andy answered, and he relaxed a little as well. "Oh, Andy, don't do that to me. I was so scared…But what did they take?"

Andy listed off a few things, but Buzz still couldn't make out the words. Whatever he said, though, Mrs. Davis simply nodded. "Well, we can replace all that stuff. As long as you're all right."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Andy spoke again. This time Mom looked surprised. "They took _that_? I didn't even know you took that with you." She fell silent, listening to Andy before nodding again. "I know. Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I know how much that cowboy doll meant to you."

Everything around Buzz suddenly seemed to slow, suspended in a heavy fog that seemed determined to crush him entirely. Numbly he turned to Jessie; the cowgirl wore an expression of shock and horror that he was sure mirrored his own. He didn't even notice that Mrs. Davis headed back downstairs, and he barely listened to what the others were saying.

"Woody was stolen again?" Rex exclaimed, panic pitching his voice.

"We gotta do something!" Slinky asserted.

"Right, and how are we supposed to do that?" Mr. Potato Head retorted.

"We don't even know where Andy's college is!" Hamm added.

That caught Buzz's attention, and he had to admit that was a good point. They had done impossible things before, including rescuing Woody the first time he was stolen. But that time the cowboy had been taken from their home, and they were able to figure out who took him and where he was taken. Now, they didn't even know where Woody was taken _from_…and even if they could get there, they didn't know who would _want_ to take him so they wouldn't know where to look for him. There were just too many things that would make it so much more difficult to find Woody. And yet…

"So what?" he heard Jessie cry. "If it had been one of _us_, Woody wouldn't a' given up until he found us!"

Buzz nodded; that decided him. "Right. So we have to do whatever it takes to find him."

Because Woody was their friend, and they had to get him back no matter what. They just couldn't lose him now…not like this. After everything they've been through, Buzz refused to let _this_ be their goodbye.

**The End**


End file.
